When you work in arts and culture marketing, proving ROI isn’t always as clean aspointing to a single click or last‑touch sale. For most organisations theatres,galleries, museums, festivals advertising has to do more than shift tickets. Itneeds to build audiences, nurture interest and guide people from curiosity tocommitment.
At GroundUp Media, we measure ROI through three core lenses:
- Data Growth – everything from pixel fires, video views and website behaviour to new audiences added to your funnel.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) – understanding how efficiently your advertising converts interest into revenue.
- Remarketing Awareness – the reminders, nudges and brand touchpoints that keep prospects warm, even if they don’t buy right now.
1. Data Growth: The Foundation of Long-Term ROI
Beforefocusing on revenue, the smartest arts marketers look at whether a campaign isgrowing their audience data. Strong data means stronger targeting, lower futuread costs and more efficient sales cycles.
What Data Growth Looks Like
- Pixel events firing correctly (page views, add‑to‑carts, initiate checkouts).
- Video views that help the algorithm understand who is genuinely interested.
- Engagement signals such as link clicks, saves, event responses and post engagement.
- New remarketing pools the audiences who now qualify for follow‑up ads.
Why It Matters
The artsbuying journey is rarely instant. Someone may see your trailer today, researchthe production next week and buy tickets a month later. Every pixel fire orvideo view strengthens your funnel, helping platforms identify your futurebuyers with more accuracy.
How to Measure It
- Track growth in remarketing audiences.
- Analyse video view progression (25% / 50% / 75% completions).
- Review traffic quality indicators (time on site, scroll depth, returning visitors).
- Ensure correct event setups in GA4 and Meta Events Manager.
This early‑stage data is your campaign’s “compounding interest” it creates lower CPA and higherROAS down the line.
2. ROAS: Understanding the Real Return on AdSpend
Once yourdata foundations are strong, ROAS becomes the clearest way to see how well adspend is translating into revenue.
Key ROAS Indicators
- Direct ticket sales from digital campaigns.
- Assisted conversions (people who saw or clicked an ad but converted later via another channel).
- Channel comparisons to see what platforms deliver best value.
Best Practices
- Measure ROAS over an extended conversion window (30–90 days), especially for seasonal programmes.
- Use unique tracking links or promo codes to attribute revenue correctly.
- Compare performance to historical benchmarks from similar productions or exhibitions.
Why ROAS Alone Isn’t the Whole Picture
ROAS shows monetary return but without understanding audience growth and remarketing readiness, your revenue data can look incomplete. Which brings us to…
3. Remarketing Awareness: The “Reminder Effect” That Drives Future Sales
This is oneof the most influential but least talked‑about KPIs in arts and cultureadvertising.
Remarketingdoesn’t always lead directly to immediate purchases, but it keeps you top‑of‑mind.Someone who has watched a video, visited an event page or engaged with yourcontent is showing clear intent they just might not be ready to buy yet.
Why It Matters
- Arts buying decisions are emotional and often require multiple touchpoints.
- Reminders (such as banner ads or short social placements) reinforce interest.
- Remarketing reduces drop‑off in the decision‑making phase.
What to Track
- Growth in remarketing audience sizes.
- Impression frequency and reach within these warm audiences.
- Click‑through rate and engagement from remarketing ads.
- Conversions that originate after multiple brand touches.
A healthyremarketing strategy ensures that your most interested prospects don’t simplyforget, get distracted or lose momentum.
Putting It All Together: The True ROI ofCulture‑Sector Advertising
When youcombine these three pillars data growth, ROAS and remarketing awareness you geta much more accurate and honest picture of campaign performance.
A Strong ROI Framework in the Arts Looks Like:
- Larger, higher‑quality audiences entering your funnel.
- Better‑performing ads thanks to richer platform learning.
- Consistent warm reminders that guide people toward buying.
- Ultimately, a stronger return on every pound spent.
Arts andculture marketing isn’t just about instant transactions it’s about buildingmomentum, connection and long‑term audience loyalty. By measuring the rightthings at the right stage of the journey, your advertising becomes not onlymore efficient but more impactful.
